At Greater Baltimore Medical Center, Osteoporosis Accounts for Half of Fracture Readmissions in Women Within 3 Months

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In Osteoporosis

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By: James Pitt  Jul. 05, 2018

Osteoporosis is a major cause of fractures in American women. A study in the March 2018 volume of Osteoporosis International found that hip fracture rates have plateaued at an unexpectedly high level from 2013-2015, leading to an excess of 11,000 hip fractures over projections based on continuing decline.

Dexur has previously examined osteoporosis's contribution to overall fractures in Texas. While one might think of broken bones as most common in children and athletes, a report by Mona Chalabi at FiveThirtyEight found that per-capita fracture diagnoses are in fact much higher in the elderly than in younger people. According to Chalabi, “men are more at risk of broken bones before age 65, after which women become far more at risk” due to osteoporosis.

Hospitals can treat their patients better if they know what causes of injury and disease to expect. High readmission rates indicate opportunities for better case. Baltimore is a case where fracture readmission causes are difficult to predict from demographic data alone. Baltimore has a high rate of injury-related hospitalizations, at 1,669 per 100,000 population per year, according to the Maryland Department of Health. Its population is younger, but more female-skewed than the US average.

Dexur analysts examined fracture readmissions at hospitals in Baltimore by osteoporosis status, using CMS inpatient discharge data. Osteoporosis accounted for a higher percentage of fracture readmissions further from the city center. 50% of fracture readmissions involved osteoporosis at Greater Baltimore Medical Center. Only 34% involved osteoporosis at Saint Agnes Hospital.

Readmissions indicate patients who return to the hospital after discharge within a particular length of time. Osteoporosis was a lower proportion of fracture discharges than of fracture readmissions. This indicates that patients with osteoporosis have a higher risk of recurrent fracture than patients admitted with other fractures.

The geographic distribution of fracture discharges was similar to the geographic distribution of fracture readmissions. At Medstar Union Memorial Hospital, only 16% of fracture discharges involved osteoporosis, indicating other causes of fractures are more common there.

DEXUR PRO MEMBERS GET ACCESS TO:

1. Women Total Discharges Jan 2013 to Dec 2016
2. Women 30 Day Fracture Readmissions
3. Women 30 Day Fracture Readmission Rate
4. Women State 30 Day Fracture Readmission Rate
5. Women National 30 Day Fracture Readmission Rate
6. % 30 Day Readmissions back to Same Hospital
7. Women 60 Day Fracture Readmissions
8. Women 60 Day Fracture Readmission Rate
9. Women State 60 Day Fracture Readmission Rate
10. Women National 60 Day Fracture Readmission Rate
11. Women 90 Day Fracture Readmissions
12. Women 90 Day Fracture Readmission Rate
13. Women State 90 Day Fracture Readmission Rate
14. Women National 90 Day Fracture Readmission Rate

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From 2013-2016, at the following hospitals:

1. The Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore, MD)
2. Medstar Franklin Square Hospital Center (Baltimore, MD)
3. University of Maryland Medical Center (Baltimore, MD)
4. Sinai Hospital of Baltimore (Baltimore, MD)
5. Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center (Baltimore, MD)
6. Saint Agnes Hospital (Baltimore, MD)
7. Greater Baltimore Medical Center (Baltimore, MD)
8. Medstar Good Samaritan Hospital (Baltimore, MD)
9. Medstar Union Memorial Hospital (Baltimore, MD)
10. Medstar Harbor Hospital (Baltimore, MD)

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